Fluid flow indicator and fluid identifier



R. RUMBLE EVAL FLUID FLOW INDICATOR AND FLUID IDENTIFIER June 9, 1959Filed June 19, 1957 nw 0| TT4 OCI ME S` :Inno

INDICATOR SECTION nited States Patent:

FLUID FLOW INDICATOR AND FLUID IDENTIFIER Robert C. Rumble and Henry M.Buck, Houston, Tex., assignors, by mesne assignments, to JerseyProduction Research Company, Tulsa, Okla., a corporation of DelawareApplication .lune 19, 1957, Serial No..666,1704

11 Claims. (Cl. 3241-72) This invention relates to devices forindicating the flow of fluids and identifying the fluids. Moreparticularly, this invention relates to an apparatus for flowing fluidsfrom a plurality of localities and identifyingy the'iluids from aparticular locality.

For many purposes, fluids are flowedl from different areas andaccumulated in a remote area. It is often desirable to ascertain thetype of fluid which you are getting from one particular arca. Forexample, in obtaining 4various subsurface fluids, such as salt water andoil from boreholes, it is desirable to produce the fluids from all ofthe various permeable formations penetrated by the borehole. At the sametime, it is desirable to obtain an indication of the fluids beingreceived from each particular formation.

lt is an object of this invention to provide the art with a new andimproved device for indicating the flow of an unknown fluid andidentifying the fluid.

lt is a further object of this invention to provide a fluid flowindicator and fluid identifier which is particularly useful in boreholesfor identifying the liquids flowing from a particular permeableformation, while at the same time permitting the flow of fluids from aplurality of permeable formations.

Briefly described, our new invention includes an elongated fluid conduithaving longitudinally spacedapart fluid passageways for admitting fluidsinto the conduit. A conductive valve is positioned to permit the inflowof fluids through one of the passageways, while preventing the outflowof fluids. The valve member forms a part of an electric circuit forindicating the flow of a fluid through the particular passagewayand'identifying said fluid. The valve member forms a short circuit pathwhen no fluid is flowing, as it remains seated. When fluid is flowing,the valve member is raised from its seat, providing an impedance pathformed by the valve seat, the flow ing liquid, and the valve member.Means are provided in the electrical circuit for indicating theimpedance whereby the fluids entering the passageway can be identified.

When our new fluid flow indicator and identifier-is used for flowingfluids from a borehole and indicating the `kind of fluids flowing from aspecific formation in the borehole, a means for isolating the specificformation is included. The isolating means may take the form of a pair`of longitudinally spaced-apart inflatable packers.

` Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view showing our new device in a borehole;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view showing the construction of the packers, flowindicator section, and nose plug of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a sectional View of the flow indicator section; and

Fig. 4 is an electrical circuit diagram useful in explaining theoperation of our new device.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 1, an elongated member is shownlowered by means of a cable into a borehole 12. The elongated memberincludes a motor section 14, pump section 16, packer 17, flow indicatorPatented .lune 9, 1959 a "l es ton within the ypump section 16 forinflating and deflating the packers 17 and 19. A detailed explanation ofthe operation of the motor section and the pump section can be had byreferring to the lco-pending patent application yby Henry M. Buck etal., Serial No. 602,047, filed August 3, 1956, entitled CompletionSubsurface Packer and Flowmeter.

Fig. 1 shows permeable formations 22 and 24 within the borehole 12. Theinstrument is shown with the packer f7 and 19 isolating the permeableformation 22. The instrument is devised so that fluid flow can beobtained from both formations 22 and 24 and the fluids flowing fromformation 22 identied.

Referring to Fig. 2, the upper packer 17 is mounted upon a mandrel 30;and the lower packer 19 is mounted upon a mandrel 32. Upper packer 17 issecurely mounted upon `mandrel 3) by means of a pair of clamping rings34 and threaded nuts 36. Lower packer 19 is securely connected tomandrel 32 by means of clamping means 3i; and threaded nuts 40'.

A longitudinally extending fluid passageway 42 is formed in mandrel 30and extends to the pump section 16. A packer equalizer tube 44innerconnects the interiors of packers 17 and 19. Hence, packer 17 andi9 are both inflated `by means of fluids from the pump section 16 whichare forced through passageway 42 and equalizing tube 44.

A nose plug 46 having a plurality of passageways 48 is threaded to thelower extremity of mandrel 32. The fluids, such as the fluids fromformation 24 when the ydevice is positioned as is shown in Fig. l, arefree to flow through passageway 48, mandrel 32, flow indicator section18, and mandrel 30 up to the surface.

The fluids flowing from yformation 22 (see Fig. 1), flow through theflow indicator section which is shown in sectional view in Fig. 3. Theflow indicator section 18 has formed therein a passageway for flowingfluids from formation 22 into the elongated member andl up to thesurface. The passageway may consist of a tubular member 50 which extendssubstantially perpendicular from the side wall of the fluid indicatorsection to a point substan tially along the longitudinal axis thereof.Tube 50 has at its extremity a bowl-shaped portion 52. The bowlshapedportion has an opening 54 which is normally closed by means of anelectricity conductive valve S6 spring biased against'the opening 54 bya leaf spring 5S. Leaf spring 58 is connected to the side of tube 50 bymeans of a conductive pin 60 extending through a bushing 62.

The opening 54 and the valve 56 are located so that fluids flowing frombelow the fluid flow indicator and fluids flowing downwardly through theindicator will not unseat the valve 56 from its opening 54. Fluidsflowing through tube 50 will, however, unseat the valve 56.

An insulated spring contact 64 is mounted on tube 50 by an insulator 66which is located directly below the valve 56. Spring contact 64 isconnected by means of an insulated conductor 63 to a power supply. Valve56 is grounded through the elongated member.

The arrangement of the fluid indicator and identifier is such that asconductive valve 56 becomes unseated in response to fluid flow throughtube 50 and opening 54, the conductive valve S6 will lose contact withspring contact 64. Electrical current flowing through conductor 68 andspring contact 64 must flow across the impedance presented by theflowing fluids. The amount of impedance will depend upon theconductivity of the fluids. The change in impedance will lin turn varythe current flow. The change in current flow is indicated by means n Al, of an ammeter or any other means for indicating current flow.

An electrical circuit diagram useful in explaining the operation of ournew device is shown Ain Fig. 4. The sheath about cable 10 is grounded.Conductive valve 56 is also grounded. lower is supplied to conductor 68by means of a power supply 70. When fluid flows through tube 5l), thevalve member 56 will become unscated and separate from spring contact64. The short circuit through contact 64 and valve member 56 is thenpresented with a resistance depending upon the conductivity of theliowing fluids. For example, if the flowing fluid is oil, the ammeter 72in the surface equipment will indicate an open circuit. If the fluidshould be salt water, the ammeter will differentiate between the shortcircuit present when the valve 56 rests on the seat and the partial.short present when salt water flows. A fluid composed of oil and waterwould be manifest by alternate opencircuit and low resistancemeasurements between the conductor 68 and ground.

lt is to be understood that even though our new fluid indicator andidentifier has been described for a particular use, the new device hasapplicability for other purposes where fluids are flowed from aplurality of spacedapart areas and it is desired to identify the fluidsflowing from one particular area.

What is claimed is:

l. An apparatus comprising an elongated fluid con-- duit having at leastone fluid passageway in the side thereof at a first location and asecond fluid passageway in the side thereof at` a second locationlongitudinally spaced from the passageways at the first location, anelectrical circuit including a conductive valve member mountt cd so asto permit the inilow of fluids through the second passageway whilepreventing the outflow of lluids through i said passageway, the valvemember providing a short circuit path when no fluid is flowing throughthe second passageway and the valve member and any inflowing fluidproviding an impedance having a magnitude depending upon theconductivity of the lluid, and means in the electrical circuit forindicating said impedance whereby the .lluids entering the conduitthrough the second passageway are identified.

2. An apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein the second passagewayconsists of a tube.

3. An apparatus in accordance with claim 2 wherein the tube extendsinwardly from the side of the conduit to a point substantially along theaxis thereof.

4. An apparatus in accordance with claim 3 wherein the tube has abowl-shaped portion at the extremity thereof, the bowl-shaped portionhaving an opening disposed so that lluids llowiug from the opening llowin the same direction as the fluids flowing in the conduit from thefluid passageways at the first location, and the conductive valveconsists of a spring biased electrical con- Y tact mounted on the tubeand adapted to close the opening when no uid flows through the secondpassageway.

5. An apparatus comprising an elongated electricity conducting fluidconduit having at least one fluid passage-- way in the side thereof at arst location, an electricity conducting tube having a bowl-shapedextremity extend-- ing inwardly ncrpcndicularly from a side of theconduit at a location longitudinally spaced from the other fluidpassageway, a conductive valve mounted on the tube and spring biased toclose the opening in the bowl-shaped extremity when no liuid flowsthrough the tube from outside the conduit, an electrical contact mountedwithin the bowl-shaped extremity in contact with the valve to provide ashort circuit when no fluid flows through the tube, the valve memberbeing adapted to be moved from the bowl-shaped opening and electricalContact by lluids llowing through the tube from outside the conduitwhereby the impedance across the valve and electrical contact is variedin accordance with the conductivity of the lluids, and means forindicating said impedance.

6. An apparatus for indicating the kind of fluids flowing from aspecific area in a borehole comprising an elongated niember adapted tobe lowered into the borehole having a fluid conduit formed therein and afluid inlet, means for isolating said specific area, an electricalcircuit including a conductive valve member mounted so as to permit theinflow of fluids through the tluid inlet while preventing the outflow offluids through said inlet, the valve member providing a short circuitpath when no fluid is flowing through the inlet and the valve member andany inllowing fluid providing an impedance having a magnitude dependingupon the conductivity of the fluid, and means in the electrical circuitfor indicating said impedance whereby the fluids entering the conduitthrough the inlet are identified.

7. An apparatus in accordance with claim 6 wherein the fluid inletconsist of a tube.

8. An apparatus in accordance with claim 7 wherein the isolating meanscomprises a pair of spaced-apart intlatable packers, one on each side ofthe lluid inlet.

9. An apparatus in accordance with claim 8 wherein the tube extendsinwardly from the side of the conduit to a point substantially along theaxis thereof.

10. An apparatus in accordance with claim 9 wherein the tube has abowl-shaped portion at the extremity thereof, and the conductive valveconsists of a spring biased electrical contact mounted on the tube andadapted to close the opening when no fluid llows through the inlet.

11. An apparatus for indicating the kind of fluids flowing from aspecific area in a borehole comprising an elongated member adapted to belowered into the borehole and having at least one iluid passageway inthe side thereof at a first location, an electricity conducting tubehaving a bowl-shaped extremity extending inwardly perpendicularly from aside of the conduit at a location longitudinally spaced from the othertluid passageway, an inflatable packer mounted on the elongated memberon each side of the conducting tube with one packer being mountedbetween the lluid passageway and the conducting tube, a conductive valvemounted on the tube and spring biased to close the opening in thebowlshaped extremity when no fluid flows through the tube from outsidethe conduit, an electrical contact mounted within the bowl-shapedextremity in contact with the valve to provide a short circuit when nofluid flows through the tube, the valve member being adapted to be movedfrom the bowl-shaped opening and electrical contact by fluids flowingthrough the tube from outside the conduit whereby the impedance acrossthe valve and electrical Contact is varied in accordance with theconductivity of the fluids, and means for indicating said impedance.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

1. AN APPARATUS COMPRISING AN ELONGATED FLUID CONDUIT HAING AT LEAST ONEFLUID PASSAGEWAY IN THE SIDE THEREOF AT A FIRST LOCATION AND A SECONDFLUID PASSAGEWAY IN THE SIDE THEREOF AT A SECOND LOCATION LONGITUDINALLYSPACED FROM THE PASSAGEWAY AT THE FIRST LOCATION, AN ELECTRICAL CIRCUITINCLUDING A CONDUCTIVE VALVE MEMBER MOUNTED SO AS TO PERMIT THE INFLOWOF FLUILDS THROUGH THE SECOND PASSAGEWAY WHILE PREVENTING THE OUTFLOW OFFLUIDS THROUGH SAID PASSAGEWAY, THE VALVE MEMBER PROVIDING A SHORT